Ongoing gags
Many ongoing gags, or "callbacks", occur in the MS Paint Adventures. In addition to internal callbacks in each adventure, the later adventures (particularly Homestuck) sometimes also reference the earlier adventures. On a related note, Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff was originally created with the purpose of being referenced in mind, as " " for Homestuck. Similar, but typically of a more serious and plot-relevant nature, are recurring themes. Gags in multiple adventures Retrieve arms" :Based on the fact that character arms are often not drawn when by the character's side. This command is often the first command given to a new character when they appear. This is a pun based on the word "armaments", i.e. weapons. What pumpkin?" :The appearance of pumpkins, which originated from Jailbreak. As pumpkins are rather elusive, it's often very difficult to actually tell if there has ever been one in the room. This may have been caused by Jake, who appearified several pumpkins after discovering his Transmaterializer. Gay porn :Oftentimes, Hussie will slip in some gay porn. Most notable is Hunk Rump. It does not appear in Homestuck, but the Smuppets can be a sort of replacement, as well as Equius's fine musclebeast nudes. However, Hunk Rump does make an appearance on the ''Homestuck Vol. 9'' cover art, as one of the cards held by Jake. Colors and units of distance :Black Inches first appeared in Jailbreak, and is referred to multiple times in Homestuck, such as Clubs Deuce's smut magazine (a parody, as it here refers to licorice). 's whip bears the same name, and the most powerful ability of the Queen's Ring, the Red Miles, is also a reference to the magazine. Bec Noir has also used a variant of the Red Miles, presumably called the Green Miles, or at least the Green some unit of distance. Homestuck also features the Yellow Yard, and Dirk's auto-responder has used the phrase "Blue Leagues". "First, be the pony. Second, ..." :A command from makes an appearance in . It is eventually . "YOU (VERB) THAT (NOUN) THIS INSTANT!" :This cry of rage has so far appeared twice, originally in a Problem Sleuth donation comic, and more recently seen in Act 5 Act 1 of Homestuck. It was first uttered by Ace Dick while playing a game of Hunk Rump: The Gathering. In an attempt to get Problem Sleuth to hurry up and finish his turn, he begins to urge PS to . In its second appearance, Hearts Boxcars tries to get a doubt-filled Tavros to get up and kiss Vriska. When Tavros refuses due to his inability to stand up, Hearts Boxcars . Most recently, has commanded Aradia's ancestor to " ". "This is incredibly..." :In Problem Sleuth, several of Pickle Inspector's actions have been described . It has also been seen in Homestuck , including in the . A common specific variant, "This is incredibly silly!", usually , but occasionally . "Be the other guy" :A command used to semi-force the story to focus on another character. It was first used in Jailbreak (though not perfectly) and later appeared in Homestuck to make the story shift from Dave's perspective to John's. Also used for . Also used in the Midnight Crew Intermission, where the command . "X: Land already" :Similarly to the above, this is used in Problem Sleuth and Homestuck to switch perspective to another character. In this case, one who has been falling, usually while other characters have been the focus. Has been used for Problem Sleuth ( and ), Nervous Broad ( ), Hysterical Dame ( ), John ( ), Jade ( ), Tavros ( ) and most recently Roxy ( ). Auto-Parry :At first just a sight-gag in Problem Sleuth as Ace Dick does not so much parry as take the blow full on, it has morphed into a series of terrible puns in Homestuck universe, such as "Auto-Perrier" and "Blotto-Parry" when Rose Aggresses her mother. Dave also later uses "Auto-Harley" against Jack Noir, and Vriska uses "Auto-Pirate" against the same. "X has been slain." :This has been used numerous times in Problem Sleuth, and in Homestuck. "You become... My God... YOU BECOME... X. :Followed by complaints about imagination and how you'd somehow harm your own (or someone else's) imagination in the face. It was applied to Ace Dick when he combined himself with his alternate selves, and later applied to the Draconian Dignitary when he put on the Ring of Orbs Nofold. Weapon/Object Duality :Weapons in Problem Sleuth may be exchanged with , also known as an innocuous double, often when it's most inconvenient. The next frame typically gives an explanation of why it's ridiculous to think the character ever had such an object in the first place. This extends to the Midnight Crew in Homestuck, who keep all their items as decks of cards, and even appears briefly in Hivebent as Kanaya's weapon. Later it's revealed that 's Cairo Overcoat and cane both also have innocuous double. Or more accurately, the cane is the (relatively) innocuous form of his actual weapon. "Punch in snout to establish " :Ace Dick is prone to expressing himself through violence, and tends to exert his Emotions in . Oddly enough, it usually results in him gaining allies. to the Midnight Crew Intermission in Homestuck. " in disgust" :A command common among the male characters in Problem Sleuth establishing their disgust in recent events. It doesn't matter whether they are or , nor how much they try and , or even if they are or not, sooner or later ! This gag was to Homestuck, as well as the . Jane recently that she managed to . Her hat appropriately . Busts :Typically placed in Problem Sleuth, busts are seen obstructing pathways, as Busts-R-Us is a Legitimate Establishment, and are constructed to look like several movie celebrities, most notably Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Snoop Dogg. A combination of busts has also been created: the Bowen Stilson Dogg. This gag made a lampshade appearance in as Dirk attempts to exit his room. "Fondly Regard..." :Since Godhead Pickle Inspector refuses to do anything other than "Fondly regard creation", many commands are given that use a word that sounds very similar to "creation", such as or . His rule seems a little loose, as GPI does fondly regard some , although it certainly could be considered part of his creation. The same may apply to his . In an extra, GPI to "Fondly regard donation", but of course that's non-canon. Bucking the trend a bit, Wayward Vagabond for the desert night over Exile Town. Gamzee and Jane have each fondly regarded . John has been known to to Nanna 's ashes. Flip the Fuck Out :Occasionally a character in Problem Sleuth (or, in one instance, in Homestuck) will Flip the Fuck Out. Weasels from Problem Sleuth mainly do this when they get agitated. Haunting refrains :When musical instruments are present in a scene (string instruments in particular), a command to play a haunting refrain is often chosen, and accompanied by a simple flash video. This actually originated in Problem Sleuth, when PS was commanded to play a . However, he refused, because the tuba in question was encrusted with filth from years of neglect. Gags in Problem Sleuth "Ride like a " :A command often given toward objects that clearly should not be ridden like a mechanical bull. Trying to use Sepulchritude :Problem Sleuth has had to many times, until it is finally . "I don't know why you haven't " :Some actions occur on their own, and the action notifies the player that they most likely should have thought of this MONTHS ago, or that something is so simple that the player shouldn't question its obviousness. "Fall in a more manner." :This has been used multiple times: Problem Sleuth , Pickle Inspector , and Nervous Broad . Gags in Homestuck It's worth noting that implies that callbacks are and that . In other words, many of the callbacks and recurring gags in Homestuck might be explainable in-universe as possible instances of circumstantial simultaneity. thoughts :When characters are first introduced in Homestuck, they get which normally consist of acting like an animal and besmirching their surroundings via some bodily discharge. They usually get these thoughts after trying to retrieve their arms. Though those thoughts often got cancelled, Jade with hers. Dave doesn't do it but it is here as well as done by Brobot . "THIS IS " :Used first by John, then other characters, whenever they realize something is particularly stupid. The first time he began to have a mental breakdown when he realized that Betty Crocker, his sworn nemesis, manufactures Fruit Gushers, but quickly stopped when he realised that THIS IS STUPID. It was later invoked when he ignored Dave's advice about skipping to the seventh gate and . Karkat is doing the same gesture when entering Trickster Mode after he . It happens again later in Daedric when Karkat has a mental breakdown after reading John's bucket-delivered letter over the idea of . Hussie himself is also seen enlarging the phrase over three panels, as he leans in Dropping things :In Homestuck, picking up things or taking them out of the Sylladex can cause other items captchalogued in there to eject, often violently and in a hilarious fashion. for slaying the imp :Objects used by Rose to smash imps are given their own ranking on the Echeladder. These objects include John's fridge, his bathtub, and the old copy of Colonel Sassacre's Daunting Text of Magical Frivolity and Practical Japery. Later on, Jane's hat also levels up for being perfectly thrown down. Being entrenched in stuff :Originally used in , Dave refers to his and Karkat's entrenchment through . "You figure you've left him hanging long enough." :Both John and Dave have left various things "hanging". In it is used figuratively to mean that he needs to high-five the Kernelsprite; John after he and Nannasprite kick some ogre ass. In , it is meant literally in reference to the hanging puppet in his way. Sweet Catch :Appears when one of the main characters catches something at very high speeds. Quote :The narration will often include a quote, only to attribute it to the wrong person. This happens in the cases of (Shakespeare), (François de La Rochefoucauld), (T. S. Eliot), (Snoop Dogg), and (also Shakespeare). There was also Troll Will Smith in Karkat's ~ATH handbook (John Oxenham). :Before something cool is about to happen, Hussie suddenly shifts the story to focus on another character. The first time this happens is when Rose leaves the observatory to , which is interrupted with "OH PSYCHE" and switches to Dave's introduction. Worthy of note is the and, eventually, an attempt at a and the cause of an UNPSYCHE. On there's a PRELOADER PSYCHEOUT luring the reader into thinking it's Dave's Strife page when in it is really Jade's. There were no further psycheouts for almost 4500 pages, until the . Less than where "literally the worst psycheout in Homestuck to date" occurs which is immediately followed by a pre-loader psycheout. " in the , ..." :This expression is used a lot of times in Homestuck, to change the story's current time to go to the or to the , as the story occurs in simultaneously. "But not many" appears as Daedric text in "Lousy (goddamn) stupid ." :So far, every kid save for Dave has his or her for in this . Sollux, in a similar but not-quite-the-same manner, and in a 2X DISGUST COMBO, expresses his distaste for psychics and his window. The Salamander mushroom farmer also said this about the mushrooms. Vriska also expressed distate for a in this manner. "That's really all there is to say on the matter" :Dave and John will often summarize their situation quickly, then say this. on the matter. Additionally, when Vriska forces Tavros to , he "That's really all there is to report on the subject of me getting hurt", imitating Dave's pose from after being bested by his Bro. Dirk has also used this when talking about his love for puppets. It happens again after fought and lost against the Brobot. :Commonly used as an all purpose reaction to... well, almost anything. Rose, John, Jade, Kanaya, Feferi and even Spades Slick have expressed their thoughts about someone or something using some sort of BLUH. Terezi claims to be . Characters engaging in a BLUH are often depicted in Scribble Mode. "IS THIS YOU" :Used by Terezi to attempt to troll Dave by sending him pictures of various badasses males that bear the most minimal of resemblance to him. One instance led Davesprite to compliment Terezi's trolling methods, although he could have been trolling her in turn. Thus far, several variants have been used in two between Dave and Terezi. More recently, Calliope has used it for Dirk and Roxy, and Caliborn has used a variant for himself with Dirk and Jane. "Wear the , Be the " :Used on , and . When used, it often involves a certain pony. " to " :Used when a character is close to an item that may be or , or is otherwise subject to a temptation, such as . This usually ends in the character the urge, but "Huge bitch" :This choice of descriptor in the Midnight Crew Intermission. The next was in Act 4, in a . The next appearance is in Hivebent, Vriska's introduction. The mirrors the second one. With the appearance of this gag comes a scribble of the targeted person, generally accompanied by a "BLUH BLUH". So far, only the Black Queen, and Vriska are considered huge bitches, but more recently, as Rose is busy being her typical cryptic self and leaves John hanging to deal with two trolls, he refers to her as a . He is already here :Usually in relation to , referring to his ability to travel to any time and place he wants. The phrase is first used when that will summon into the universe, by to Rose, and by himself when he . When appears in Hussie's manor, our beloved author notes that is always already here. There are also four cases of the phrase referring to someone other than . The is applied to Jack Noir by Vriska, the to Spades Slick by , the to Imperial Drones by Caliborn and the to Caliborn by Calliope. Stunning :No way did anyone see that twist coming. Used for Aradia's , and (unsuccessfully) for the fact that the trolls . In fact, if Hussie states that something is a shocking twist, it probably isn't. For example, Dad's room turning out to be perfectly ordinary. "You cannot hope to beat in a -off. S/he is simply the best there is" :You cannot hope to beat John, Tavros, Aurthour, or Kanaya in a , , , or , respectively. They are simply the best there are. Happens again in Act 6 Intermission 2, as Rose states, "I think you'll find that when it comes to striving for a reasonable approximation of legitimacy, we are simply the most barely adequate there is." displacement :Newly connected Sburb players (invariably female ones, as it happens) who are still getting used to the interface seem to have a serious habit of ruining the client player's bathroom. The toilet (if we choose to use that hoity-toity, blueblooded term) is usually first to go, followed occasionally the bathtub. It's not purely restricted to the bathroom, however, as the bed will often suffer as well. Rose, Jade, Terezi, Aradia, and even Kanaya have done this. Drinking something one is not supposed to :A character attempts to drink something that looks tantalizing, only to retch in disgust and find out otherwise. Often goes hand in hand with BLUH and, accordingly, Scribble Mode. So far, this has happened to John with his (in Dave's imagination), Rose with one of her mother's , Kanaya with the of her just-deceased lusus, and Feferi with some . The latest one is Roxy when she drank her martini, much like Rose but with . Eridan would have also with Faygo, but he considered it unnecessary since it's just soda, no big deal. "All the s. ." :Appears all over Act 5 in most of the instances where trolls are speaking of ALL of something. ALL OF IT. First shows up when Sollux is . Other than Sollux's case, it , but has also been used by , and (when talking to Vriska). The variation " " has also been used. Rose goes into somewhat of an of the gag, using the terms "exhaustive posession" and "monopolization". Headdesk and beating of the back of the head :Done by during a flash animation and by during a normal panel. Words beginning with 'A' :Sometimes, obscure words of this kind are used instead of words which would be more commonly used in their place. For example, John's computer taskbar has an "Actuate" button instead of a "Start" button. During Strife, the kids can select options such as "Aggrieve", "Aggress(-passive)", "Abjure", "Abscond", "Abstain", "Abuse", "Accuse", "Assail" or "Assault". While firing at Becquerel, Jade can choose "Arraign", "Arsenalize", "Artillerate", "Armamentify"... or "Arf". "Oh nooooo..." :Generally with various letters repeated. Fairly self-explanatory. Please make sure to read it in the proper tone of mental voice. First instance: Jade again, the first time from our perspective. In the second instance, Jade is thwarted by a pumpkin. In the third instance, dream Jade's to the accidentally impaled crow. Another example is Nepeta's on her shipping wall to the possible matespritship of Karkat and Vriska. Happens again when Jake . doesn't count. There is another when John is contacted by Karkat for the frist time in Act 4. Stuff being "for babies who poop hard in their diapers" :Mentioned by , and (with slightly more b100-b100ded vocabulary) . Also used , somewhat ironically, to refer to boondollars being inferior to Kiddie Camper Handysashes. A recurring introductory set of lines in persterlogs :An introduction from a troll, a reaction with multiple 'o's (or zeroes) from the victim, the line "So I guess A is finally the B you C everything D," followed by an emoticon. Three examples, in the order in which they appeared in the story line, are as follows; it is also notable that, in the first and second of the examples, the phrase "Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?" is given after the emoticon. In the third, "Is there nothing I can do to ease your mind?" is given after a long pep talk. :* ; A = , B = , C = , and D = :* ; A = , B = , C = , and D = :* ; A = , B = , C = , and D = . "Immutable fact I am stating... does not mean" :Karkat tells John that all troll kids hate all human kids during an with him, and calls John an idiot so that he can clearly explain why he is not trying to be mean to him. Terezi later that she is being helpful, but friendship just isn't taking place. Next it is again Karkat, stating that , but that isn't any reason to withhold information. Kanaya Aradia that, although it is immutable that Sgrub will be terrible and although they are not on the same team, she will still be helpful. Vriska being annoyed at having to follow explanations :She claims she is keeping so many notes and running out of ink and pens and paper, etc. Irons in the fire :Used by various trolls throughout the comic, much to the dismay of Karkat, who was the first to use it. It is formally addressed by Karkat on several occasions, usually after saying "Don't you dare say it", or some other variation. x2 Double Facepalm Combo : by Rose in the Mausoleum, then by Karkat , and later by Spades Slick (directly after his past self , albeit centuries before). In , Terezi pulled off a x3 Triple Facepalm Combo, with the aid of Lil' Cal (pap). The gag is later subverted with 's . ROBOSLAP : and . Reunite with loving... : to fondly regard Con Air, but has now extended . non-speaking characters :Typically, each new naming is of the opposite gender to the old name. Seen with Vodka Mutini (aka Dr. Meowgon Spengler), Casey (aka Viceroy Bubbles Von Salamancer), Liv Tyler (aka Terry Kiser), Jaspers (aka Frigglish), and Serenity (aka doctor blinkbottom/twinkly herbert). "This called friendship :Mentioned multiple times, with frequent debate over whether friendship is actually an emotion or not. Object piles :Jade's Squiddles, Rose's scarves, Gamzee's horns, and Eridan's shitty wands. Dave's Bro's jumble of unbelievably shitty swords may also count. The only unique case is Vriska, since while she does have piles of dice and 8-balls lying around her hive, she was not the one to pile them; rather, they were piled by Kanaya, who was simply cleaning her room. However, Vriska does have a pile of boondollars and boonbucks from her FLARP conquests in her secret room. :Primarily 'shoosh', 'pap', 'nak' and 'doof', not always in appropriate places. On the other hand, several items have struck someone on the head with a satisfying 'BONK' or even 'bap'. Faux typos :Especially used by trolls. Common examples are 'bunp', 'sign' (for 'sigh'), 'jegus', etc. STRIIIIIIIIDDDDDDEEEERRRRR!!! :Used when angry at Dave. Rose shouted it when she was trying to enter Sburb, and John at his Fraymotif shop. Jake also does this when Dirk's dream splinter starts messing with him in a dream bubble. John also exclaimed this upon reading Davesprite's note to him. PCHOOOOO :This, and variants, are used as a sound effect or captcha code for anything rocket related, like a rocket pack or rocket shoes. Carrying five or more computers :Like a sensible person. Except for John, who simply does not know any better keeps firing it out of his Sylladex, losing it in a sea of oil, giving his Sylladex to someone with the computer still inside. "It's hard, being X. It's hard, and no one understands" :Repeated on several occasions. "You suddenly (don't) understand everything/anything" : . . . . , as . Also, . "I am the X. It's me." :Repeated on several occasions as well. This is a reference to . "Who's this ?" :Recurring reaction to unfamiliar faces, like Bing Crosby. Especially Bing Crosby. "Acrobatic fucking pirouette" :Several characters use this phrase, or a variation thereof, to describe how they are going to flip out if an annoying event continues to happen. It is a dramatic exaggeration of the phrase "fly off the handle". First (repeated ) when he was getting fed up with Bro's weird puppets, and actually carried out in . It is next done by Dave and the jutting out and impudent plush, . Sollux threatens to do an off the deep end if he sees any more tangled wires. Dave claims he is doing when Davesprite is talking to Rose. Dave later to taunt him. Terezi performs one in , mirroring Dave's flash. Such acrobatics are also used to dismount objects in an ironically ungraceful manner; Dave , and Gamzee . When Hussie gets , MSPA Readers swear they will do one "off the stump and blow their brains out if it doesn't stop keep happening." And the Auto-Responder, when Dirk asks him if he can handle overseeing Jane's entry into the game, claims he will , following it up with an extended metaphor about marrying the handle. Also used when Jane , along with some lass scampering, a couple of youth rolls, and a nice abscond. off things :When not specifically doing acrobatic fucking pirouettes, things generally , or hooks, in a manner requiring increasingly exaggerated metaphors. For instance, , from that shit and seeking custody of the hook and the shit's two kids, with the handle, and perhaps seek marital counseling, going really fast and Sollux being his toupee, and most of all, Karkat upping his standard shit-flipping by " ". "YES. HELL YES. HELL FUCKING YES." :Generally while riding some kind of mount like a bucking bronco. The first two examples, involving and , are in Scribble Mode, while the third, involving , is presented in the normal style (and with "Hell yes" instead of "Fuck yes" for the middle statement). Possibly an offshoot of the "Ride X like a mechanical bull" joke from Problem Sleuth. Dirk writes "Hell. Fucking. Yes." on the edited copy of Pony Pals he gave to Jane, and later when they discover the book survived an explosion. "That didn't stop..." :Used in situations mentioning something that has not been shown in the story in a decent amount of time, such as "That didn't stop being a thing that was real or anything" or "That didn't stop being true." flammability :Shaving cream is initially expected to be flame-suppressant by both the and . However, John is quickly made to revise this expectation drastically with the revelation of . Later, examining the flagpole in references the selfsame flammability. This gag does end up as a Funny Aneurysm, however, . Butler island :Dave was served during his strife with his Bro. Sollux later predicts that he will get his ass served to him twofold, . Later, Dave becomes like a dude on butler island; , since he became the server player for both Rose and Jade. Also, Jake worries that . Unfortunately, Legendary infinite X :Dirk taking a legendary infinite shower, and Jane hoping that Dad is having one of his legendary infinite carwashes. :Spades Slick spends much of the Midnight Crew Intermission breaking the 1000 clocks in mansion. He later destroys 's clock, marking a total of . Arguably, this is paralleled by Jack Noir, who upon arrival in the trolls' session fights a thousand-strong army of doomed timeline Aradiabots. Since they are robots of the Maid of Time, they are feasibly describable as "time-related devices". In other words, 1000/1000 Aradiabots Destroyed. Then the alpha Aradiabot blows up – in a sense also destroyed by Jack, as it's caused by Aradia's ascension when he destroys the trolls' Derse – making it 1001/1000. Make-believe time is over :"Oh God what has he done? ? Please tell me that's just . Please just be please just be please just be . Haha, ok, make-believe time is over! Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god." :Difficulty accepting the death of a cherished one. This first Karkat finds Sollux dead after the Vast Glub (substance = ). Later, he after watching Eridan slaughter Feferi and Kanaya (substance = ). After that, it is repeated by Hussie himself (substance = mohawk dye). The gag is probably a reference to Cheerfulbear - PLAY ME. Unreal Air :Dave, Gamzee and Jane own the Unreal Air, Unireal Air, and Unreal Heiress Tiaratop, respectively. Crumpling paper in anger : , , and have all been seen crumpling paper in anger. Ripping out one's heart :And crushing it with one's robotic arm. This has been discussed on two occasions so far: by Vriska for her , and much later by Dirk's auto-responder for the brobot's . Both cases were followed by robots enacting it; first the Aradiabot by and then , and then by the brobot in from its body, , and . "Everybody out of the god damn way." :"You/I got a A full of B, a C full of D, and an E full of F." :* ; A = hat, B = bomb, C = fist, D = penis, E = head and F = empty. :* ; A = lab, B = cats, C = skirt, D = scamper, E = head and F = vodka. :* ; A = , B = , C = , D = , E = and F = . Kanaya getting knocked off the lab's teleporter pad :As someone else teleports from the other end. First by Eridan in Kanaya: Return to the core. Later by Karkat on . Kanaya lampshades the recurrent nature of the gag the second time around. "Addiction is a powerful thing." :Stated in many of the introductory panels of both kids and trolls. "That was the plan. To give you a boner. And you got one." :A line said by Nicolas Cage in the movie Snake Eyes which appears in the Easter egg from . and have said the line or a variation on it while talking about boners. Backup clothing :In the Midnight Crew Intermission, the Midnight Crew all have backup hats, and has a backup Cairo Overcoat. Magic is/isn´t real : Hussie, throughout the comic, switches magic from Real (E.g. Rose after she crafts her magical needles) to Fake (E.g. Eridan´s introduction) and keeps switching it between real and fake. "Bring me a horse and I am yours forever." : First used by Hussie in the first Act 6 Intermission 3 minigame, it was used to lead a secret at the end of the minigame. It was then used again in the third Act 6 Intermission 3 minigame by Horuss to proceed through the game. Shucks buster :First by Jane, then Roxy right afterwards. says it to the Auto-responder, who then it to Roxy. RAAARARRAAUUUAAAAUUAGHGHGGHGGGGHHGH! :An exclamation used in anger. First used by , then later by Hussie, as well as , , , and . Category:Jailbreak Concepts Category:Bard Quest Concepts Category:Problem Sleuth Concepts Category:Homestuck Concepts Category:Running Gags